Two members of an Ipswich over-55s dance company travelled to Paris to audition before an internationally renowned choreographer.

Anna Mortimer from Melton and Diego Robirosa from Sudbury are among the final dancers waiting to hear whether they will be cast in the latest project of French choreographer, Angelin Prelijocaj.  

Around 240 dancers – both professionals and amateurs – auditioned to be part of the project, which explores the notion of the ageing body.  

The project requires a company of seven dancers. Anna and Diego are among the final 20. 

They are both members of EncoreEast, an over-55s dance company based in Jerwood Dance House on the Ipswich Waterfront.  

Neither of them has ever danced professionally before. But having heard about Prelijocaj’s project, they applied and were delighted to be asked to audition at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. 

They auditioned for Prelijocaj on November 3 with 80 other hopefuls. 

An assistant led the auditionees through a warm-up, dance repertoire and their own improvisation. The prompt they were given was ‘Game of Thrones’. 

“It was all about power and strength,” explained Diego. 

They were then divided into small groups and repeated the steps. Prelijocaj watched and pointed to those he wanted to return.  

“By the beginning of the second day, we were in a mixed group with beginners and professionals,” said Anna, 65. 

“It’s still a complete mystery as to what he was looking for!” 

“It was a very nice atmosphere, but it was also competitive – we all wanted to get through,” said Diego, 68. 

“We were the only people from the UK,” said Anna. “Most people were from France. Some were from Brussels and Malta. 

They both said that in France, there seem to be more dancing opportunities for older people. Diego was particularly pleased to see so many fellow male dancers. 

“Male dancers over 65 in the UK are a bit of a rarity,” he said. 

“But when we arrived, there were almost as many men as women. It was very refreshing.” 

Anna and Diego are now waiting to hear if they have made the final seven.  

However, the audition itself was an exhilarating experience. 

“I’ve never had an audition before for anything in my life,” said Anna. 

“It was challenging, it was nerve-wracking – but it was also so much fun.”